I am considering the Claymore, although it is common and therefore reduces the coolness factor.

BSS I use on my Dex characters, so although it's a good weapon, I will leave it.

Longsword has balanced Stats. So does Sunlight Straight Sword, DarkSword, Greatlord Greatsword (never used it). Murakumo doesn't, but you need great STR to wield it, so I might try it out.

I have never really used any axes, but their scaling doesn't seem to be that great. They seem to be better suited for Elemental upgrades. Is htis correct?

Might try Black Knight Halberd or Great Sword; I've used the Axe and the BK Sword already.

Warpick any good? Hammers seem to be STR focused.

Ceastus/claws any good?

For spears, I'm lookign at the Partizan or the Silver Knight Spear. Advice?

Under halberds.... no idea. I've used the Crystal Halberd before, and it was really strong for that part of the game. Any suggestion on something different? Experimented with the Lucerne as well, but didn't find the move set impressive.

Sorry for the long, rambling post, but I wanted to make a character that could experiment with a wide-range of weapons.

, Murakumo might scale mostly with Dex, but at +15 and 40/40, it's absolutely beastly. I'm starting to appreciate axes, they do mostly scale with Str, but that's what a balanced class is for, versatility. Sadly, axes are pretty much outclassed by GS in nearly every way. The Washing Pole is pretty good for a balanced class, as is the Flamberge and the Gargoyle halberd. For spears I would go with the Pike of you don't want to use the DSS. I do recommend the GLGS, it scales with both and has high base damage. If you're not buffing or using spells, it's probably one of the best greatswords. The Darksword is a cool, cool weapon. Straight swords are kind of underrated to boot; you could do well with it for sure.